Julie Ertz is back for the U.S. women's national team, just in time for a pair of friendlies against the Republic of Ireland.
It's been nearly two years since we've seen Ertz in an USWNT shirt, and also nearly two years since we've seen her on the field in any capacity. The Ertz that returns is much different than the one we last saw in the Olympics. She's now a mother, having stepped away from the game to start a family and, ultimately, find a whole new perspective on life.
For so long, it seemed that there was little chance that she would be involved with the USWNT going forward, with Vlatko Andonovski admitting as much earlier this year. Despite an Ertz-sized hole in the USWNT midfield remaining a talking point, it didn't look like Ertz would be ready or willing to return anytime soon.
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But, with the World Cup just three-and-a-half months from kicking off, Ertz is back on the squad to potentially make a late run that could completely alter the dynamic of the USWNT as we know it.